Lithium-ion batteries charge faster, last longer and have a higher power density for more battery life in a lighter package. The weight of a Lithium-ion battery depends on the size, chemistry, and the amount of energy it holds. A typical cell weighs about 30-40 grams. Cells are packaged together to make a battery pack for a device.
If you intend to ship or travel with lithium cells, batteries or battery packs, you will need to know their lithium content. See our Lithium content calculator for quick answers. This applies to lithium metal batteries (disposable) and lithium ion batteries (rechargeable).
The amount of lithium (or lithium equivalent) content in a battery or battery pack can be worked out as 0.3 x amp hour capacity. So a 2Ah battery has 0.6 grams of lithium (2 x 0.3) and a typical laptop battery pack with eight 2Ah cells has 4.8 grams (8 units x (0.3 x 2Ah))
You may need to calculate the lithium metal content (or lithium equivalent content) of a lithium battery to determine how it should be shipped or to ensure you conform to regulations regarding air travel with lithium batteries. This applies to lithium metal batteries (disposable) and lithium ion batteries (rechargeable).
Weighing in at around 50 grams each, this totals up to 714 kilograms (1,574 lbs). Lithium ion batteries can weigh as little as 3g/Wh, or as much as 8g/Wh. A typical laptop battery weighs between 80 and 120Wh/kg, which means it weighs between 240 and 960g (or .5 to 2 pounds). A typical smartphone battery might weigh around 20-40g.
Technological advances have come up with new alloys to substitute for lithium, making them a ‘lithium equivalent’, therefore falling under the same rules and guidelines as lithium. The amount of lithium (or lithium equivalent) content in a battery or battery pack can be worked out as 0.3 x amp hour capacity.